The present invention relates to a snow blowing machine of the type including a drive motor which supplies motive power to a rotating snow-gathering auger, the gathered snow being discharged laterally of the machine through an adjustable chute.
In such machines as are in common use, the auger is supported out of engagement with the ground and rotates at a relatively low speed in the order of thirty revolutions per minute. The auger includes helical blades of opposite hand which collect and push snow towards the center of auger, at which point the gathered snow is fed to a high speed blower at the base of an adjustable discharge chute and is forcably discharged from the chute in a direction lateral to the direction of travel of the snow blowing machine.
In such prior known machines, separate drives are provided to the auger and to the blower, with a consequential complication of the drive transmission. Additionally, in order to provide tractive force for moving the snow blowing machine over the ground, motive force is supplied from the drive motor to driven wheels of the machine by a drive transmission additional to that required for driving the auger and for driving the blower.
As a consequence of the necessity of providing separate drive transmissions to the auger, the high speed blower, and the drive wheels, respectively, the drive mechanism of such snow blowing machines is complex, cumbersome and relatively expensive to manufacture, and the weight of the snow blowing machine is substantially increased.